Beauty and the Beat
by Shadistic Archdevil
Summary: Two people that know each other more than well enough, yet never address each other properly. Now, they start to get closer and closer. Only the most interesting personas will clash. Rated M for mature romance.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Aside from their jobs, what do these two have in common? He's a well-off, respected nightclub worker and she's a crazy, party-loving DJ. Fate really does intertwine the most interesting personas.**

 **Rating: M**

 **Genres: Mature Romance, Comedy, Slice of Life.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own Elsword and am not related to the original owners**

 **in any way shape or form.**

 **Author's Note: Based off of an idea I had and a ship that sails all too well with two of my dearest friends. Enjoy! This first chapter is fairly short, but they will get longer as time goes on, don't worry.**

 _ **Beauty and the Beat**_

 _ **Chapter 1: Standards**_

"And tonight, we are proud to welcome a club favorite of ours. Everyone, please enjoy your night with the accompanying sounds of DJ Blaze!" A black-haired man dressed in formal attire said into the microphone before taking himself and the microphone off of the stage and opening the curtains. Behind them was a mass of equipment and speakers.

"Yo! Let's get the night started, people!" The woman behind the two rotating disks was none other than DJ Blaze. She was very well-known around these parts and was a club regular at the Triple Ignition Bar, Lounge, and Club. This was the most popular bar around as there was no real competition for miles and they were situated in the center of the city. Blaze put on her headphones and blasted a light Chillstep song to begin the night.

"One of the finest, eh?" A blonde-haired man leaned against the counter after the aforementioned buff man returned back behind the counter. He had light blue eyes with one thin ponytail coming from his mass of spiky hair.

"She sure is, Tal. Anyways, it's time for my second job for the night. Cover my place behind here, yeah?" The man said before taking off his barista apron and placing it on the counter. Tal nodded and placed it under the counter before pulling out a box.

"You know what to do, Eran. Kill it tonight." Tal smiled as he took the necessities and packed them into the box.

"Yeah, let's just hope **she** doesn't get mad at us at all tonight."

"Well, she seemed happy when she walked in tonight, so I think we're fine."

The two looked over at a blonde-haired woman wearing a revealing red dress across the lounge. This lady was their boss, Rose. She may be shorter and younger, but damn was her attitude rougher. On good days, everyone loved her, and thankfully that was most of the time. But the bad days was similar to an episode of Hell's Kitchen at the Club. Everyone was getting yelled at and nobody was safe from the thorny Rose.

"Well. Here I go then. See you around midnight, bro."

"Best of luck tonight homie. The regulars are already waiting."

Tal chuckled a bit before Eran climbed on top of the stage behind the oval counter. The setup was to have the poles inside of the bar, with the entire counter wrapping around them. Eran switched out with Dre, who had just finished his regular time. Slay and Rek would be coming soon as well, but for now it was just him. His attire was now just a collar with a tie and some pants.

His occupation? A stripper and bartender, but mostly stripper. A damn good one, too.

He eyes for his regulars first, and upon seeing them at their regular position, he gave the ma seductive smirk and wink before placing his traditional red rose into his mouth and swinging around the pole. His regulars consisted of around 12 girls that would come in daily, bidaily, or weekly for him. Tal handled all of the drinks at this point and would always have 12 set up at this time. He watched the crowd behind him with a third eye as he played around with the rose in his mouth and used just his leg to swing around elegantly.

"My man Eran already has them warmed up for us. Come on Slay, we gotta one up this kid and show him how real men get the ladies."

"Hell yeah! Tal, hold my shit. We're going in dry!"

The two other men, one red haired with a ponytail similar to Tal's and an earring on his left ear, and the other with a white tuft amidst the black hair, threw off their clothes as they entered the bar. Tal picked them up with a standard smile. Some girls were already oogling the chiseled features of the new men as they practically leaped from the bar to their respective areas and began to go about their business independent of Eran.

"Competing with me again?"

"More like kicking your lame ass and owning it."

"Wanna bet on that, white-haired boy?"

"Who're you calling a boy?"

The three of them smirked before all resetting to a similar pace and causing various nosebleeds amongst the crowd that was behind the bar and in the lounge. Tal served tens of drinks all around and Rose gave them the thumbs up from the back.

"Let's pump it up! GET LOUDER!" Blaze shouted into the crowd as she began to jump to the beat of her House music. Everyone joined in with the fistpumping, even Sakura, who was usually shy to this kind of stuff. Blaze turned the synths louder and increased the amp volume and even Rose joined in on the fun. After all, having a high-paying job that you enjoy is a goal in life, right?

The bass dropped and even the strippers began to synch their dancing with the beat. The crowd was roaring at this point and there was nobody inside who was still sitting down.

 _One of the best._

* * *

"Well. Tal. It's midnight. Time to close up my shift. Got the stuff?"

"Yep. Right where you left it, no worries. Man, Blaze really fires things up in here. And I thought you couldn't get much more popular than where this place was without her."

"True. I'm glad it works out."

"Oh yeah! Some of your regulars want to chill with you if you want to join them."

"Sure, I'll tend to that. Thanks for the stuff, bud. Tell Dre's white and blue haired looking arse that I said good luck. I'll be in the back if you need me."

"Aight homie."

The two exchanged smiles before Eran headed to the back to change back into his regular formal attire. He put on some deodorant and perfume before putting on a new shirt, tie, and vest. He slipped on the clothing and placed the rest of his stuff back into his bag and locked his small locker that was provided by the bar. He headed back into the multi-colored lights and loud music before making his way out to the outside lounge, where people who did not want to listen to the loud music from the club relaxed. It was lit by only candles and had a beautiful view of the ocean.

A girl clothed in a short dress that clung to her curves signaled for Eran to come join her and her friends. Eran nodded and waved a hand before taking a seat next to her on the couch across from the table.

"Eran doing his job stunningly as usual~"

"Oh hush Ni. I'm just doing my job."

"She's right you know. If it weren't for the fact that you added in this component of pole dancing to the club, then you guys wouldn't've made it this far in the first place."

"Thanks Sera, I'm aware."

The group consisted of Eran, Ni, Sera, Yama, Sura, Windy, Nemmy, and Chi. All of them were regulars to the place, and would often come every night that they could. Rose offered special discounts to them because of their frequency as well. The music inside began to slowly fade out as the group continued talking with the occasional drunk stuttering since Chi was only 21 and her blue dress came off more times than necessary. Eran eyed the clock as it turned to 1 AM and the music stopped. The bar closed at this point, and Tal joined the lot of them, taking a seat next to Nemmy and Sera. Rek and Slay were already presumably with two of their regulars: a purple-haired girl named Void for Slay and a busty blonde named Arc.

"So, Eran. Got your eyes on anyone yet?"

"I don't think people would really want to date a Stripper, you know?"

"By Mother El, Eran. You really think that?!"

"Yeah what nonsense are you spouting? Strippers have such great physique and can basically last forever in bed!"

Eran spit out his margarita on the table and coughed as Ni patted his back. She gave a harsh glare to Sura, who was already giggling at the sight.

"Oh relax Ni, it's not like he was your first."

"W-why would you even mention-"

"She's right, though. When he did it with me, he practically lasted through all seven of mine. And he didn't even finish until I forced him to."

"That's ridiculous."

The group was bickering about pointless things, so Eran excused himself for the night after he got a kiss from each of his clients and got up to grab the rest of his stuff. Tal followed along with Nemmy since Tal and Eran were housemates. Eran walked back inside to the basically empty area. Only a few were left and they were putting on their coats anyways. Rose came over and gave him a smack on the back for a good job.

"Great work today, Eran. We were packed at 11."

"Thanks, boss. I'll be leaving now."

"Sure thing. See you tomorrow at 6!"

Rose smiled before heading to the back to grab the supplies to clean up. Eran shrugged and went back to the DJ Station to check up on Blaze. She often got wasted and tonight was the same as always, though she seemed to be conscious this time. Tal and Nemmy were waiting outside at this point for him.

"Hey Blaze, you need a ride home again today?"

"Huuuuuu…..oh hiiiii Erannn~"

She stumbled towards him, a blush dusting her cheeks as she fell into his arms that he reflexively put up to catch her. He sighed and covered her revealed skin with his jacket and slung her over his shoulder.

"Alright, you're coming home with me. I don't trust you getting home alright anymore."

"Fineeeeee….zzzzzz"

Blaze had already dozed off. Eran sighed and walked into the brisk spring breeze as Tal approached him with a concerned look.

"Again?" He asked worriedly.

"Again." Eran responded.

"Well. Let's get her in, but I don't have time to drive her home, so she's staying with us, alright?" Tal said as the four got into the convertible.

"Yeah, just keep the roof down. She's overheating ridiculously. I bet someone gave her the Ignition Crow Margarita."

"You mean Rose's kill-all drink? Shit dude this is worse than I thought."

"She'll be fine. I'll keep an eye on her."

"Alright homie, good luck."

Throughout the entire conversation, Nemmy knew not to interrupt because of the concern on Tal's face and in his tone. She talked to Tal as he drove them home, playing some light piano music (his favorite) on the way back. Eran kept Blaze laying in his lap. He wasn't sure how bad it would be this time, but Ignition Crows were known for their two flavors: Napalm and Incinerator. Napalm was basically a sex stimulant, and Incinerator gave the consumer a burst of energy. He assumed she got Incinerator since she was down for the count, but if she got Napalm, then it'd be alright, he'd do what he needed to do.

"Alright Eran. Nemmy and I are gonna probably sleep in, so if you need to get some things taken care of, keep it quiet please."

"No problem Tal. Enjoy your night."

"You too, bud."

The group split in half after entering the house, each going to the respective male room. Eran put Blaze on his bed. She was sweating profusely and he took off his clothes and changed into his underwear since sleeping with clothes on was too difficult. He sat next to her and waited for any signs of waking up.

"Nngh...where am I...?"

"Just relax Blaze. You're in my room since I didn't think you'd be alright to go home on your own tonight. You must've had an Ignition drink and felt really wasted."

"I don't know...I feel alright."

Blaze sat up, but she was still drenched in sweat and showed no signs of stopping. Eran got up and grabbed a towel from the closet.

"Here, take a shower. I don't want you dying from overheating in my room. I'll lose my job and my life for sure."

"A s-shower?! H-here?!"

"Yeah? Where else can you go at 2 in the morning? Come on, there's nothing to be embarrassed about except for how you look right now."

Blaze sighed and slowly took off all of her clothing while Eran faced the other way. She wrapped the towel around her body and held it up with one hand. Eran turned back around and guided her to the shower. She nodded and went in. Eran situated himself outside the door with a shirt on and read a book to keep himself awake.

* * *

 _How sweet of him to do this for me…_

Blaze thought to herself as the cold water revitalized her senses and eased her heat in a short amount of time. She let her hair get drenched as well since she did not want to ruin any part of the house. She sighed before stepping out.

"Uh, Eran?"

"Yeah?"

"What am I supposed to wear?"

"On your left."

She looked and saw her underwear was clean but her bra was missing and the only other piece of clothing was a loose formal shirt. She put on the clothing with a major blush and opened the door.

"Wh-why so little?!"

"So you don't get hot overnight. This is just precaution."

"R-right…but you can see my panties!"

"Well it's not like I mind. I strip for a living and the panties look really sexy. They're red lace, so obviously you were planning on going home with someone, right?"

"..."

Blaze pouted before Eran grabbed her hand and took her back to the room, leaving her dirtied clothes in the washer. Her face heated up again as she remembered how used to this treatment he must have been. She felt like a burden on him and stopped walking.

"Hm? Are you alright, Blaze? Come on, let's get to bed."

"...Am I...troublesome…?" Blaze held her head down.

"What are you saying? That's nonsense. Come on, let's get to bed. I'm sure you have your own things to do tomorrow anyways." Eran sighed and looked at her cemented feet. He looked at her face and tilted her chin up before hugging her. After releasing her, she silently followed him into bed.

"Thank you….Eran…"

"Hey, it's just my duty as a good friend."

Eran smiled as he turned over in bed and put the blanket over himself. Blaze pulled her side up, but her mind was racing with other thoughts.

 _Shit...the margarita effect is kicking in…_

Blaze waited until she heard Eran's breathing slow and his body relax. She opened up the buttons her loose shirt until it was barely holding her breasts in. One hand slid into the lacey red fabric while the other worked its way around her right nipple. She felt her face heating up again and she bit the pillow to suppress her moans, hoping that Eran wouldn't mind.

Suddenly, Eran shifted and faced her, eyes open with concern.

"Blaze are you al-"

"Nnnn~"

"O-oh. The margarita effect kicked in, huh?"

"Mhmmm…"

Eran let out a deep breath before he opened his eyes again. Blaze was clearly in distress over her current status. Well, he had to do what he had to do. Besides, they were good friends. But that was the problem. He didn't want to ruin their friendship with this.

"Blaze?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I don't want to sound like I'm coming on to you, but would you like me to help you...release your heat?"

"...please?"

Eran sighed with relief as he turned Blaze around and pulled her in closely.

"How would you like it?"

"J-just make it f-fast…"

Eran began by sliding his hand around her and up her shirt, fondling her left breast and kissing her neck while his right hand guided hers inside her undergarment. Her moans were silenced by her own force of will while Eran exponentially increased his pace.

"E-eran…"

"Yes Blaze?"

"I….Nnnn…..lied. Please take it slow…"

Eran slowed down greatly as she turned to face him. He could see the flames in her eyes as she slowly reached into his boxers.

"Blaze?!"

"Oh come on Eran~ It wouldn't be fair if I was the only one getting pleased…"

"B-but-"

"No no, your member says otherwise to whatever denial you have."

Blaze harshly grasped his throbbing member inside and began to stroke it gently. The both were trying to maintain their focus on the other while being pleased. Eran seemed to be winning as he slowly picked up the pace. Blaze leaned in towards his face and kissed it passionately. Eran returned the favor and wrapped his left hand around her derriere and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Oh~?! Someone wants to play rough~"

"Like you could ever be rough on me~"

The two exchanged smirks as Blaze squeezed his member while stroking faster and forcing her tongue into his mouth. Eran fell backwards as Blaze climbed on top of him and used her one arm to support her.

"Looks like I get my turn first then."

"Shit…"

Blaze giggled as she went into the blanket, leaving only her head in view of Eran. He looked down to see her sliding his boxers down his legs. His genitalia popped out and stood straight up.

"My my, someone's quite excited~"

"Like you aren't."

She slowly lowered her head while brushing her hair out of the way from her face and sucked on his member as it pulsated inside of her mouth. She went far enough to the point of gagging and Eran's head flew back in pleasure.

"H-have….ngh….you done this before, B-blaze?"

"Mmm~Yes~"

Eran began to slowly become more and more in pleasure as Blaze's vertical movements increased their speed. She began to rub it with her hands as she went up and spilled saliva all over it while licking the tip. Eran groaned loudly.

"I heard you have great endurance, but yet it seems like you're having trouble with me."

"Oh hush."

"Make me."

Eran's eyes flew open at those two words as he smirked maliciously. Blaze got up with a puzzled look when Eran sat up.

"Well, you asked for it, then."

"Huh-"

Eran grabbed Blaze by the shoulders and roughly threw her against the bedpost. She winced as he positioned himself in front of her.

"So, rough or gently?"

"E-eh?!" Blaze's face returned normal before smirking.

"Go rough on me, I can handle it better than you."

"Oh? You're on then."

Eran slid off her shirt and soon after, her panties. He positioned his erection right in between her legs as her eyes widened. The size seemed larger than before, and even larger when he inserted himself inside of her. He began to thrust relentlessly as she moaned loudly and out of control. Her eyes rolled back as her breathing became panting. Eran began to pick up the pace as the night faded.

* * *

"Oh god...what happened….?"

Blaze opened her eyes to see her completely nude body clinging to Eran's. Something was definitely between her legs, and she didn't need to look down to know what it was. She sighed before letting her grip go loose as she rubbed her temple. Eran's body shifted as he woke and sat up.

"Oh? Good morning…?"

"Good isn't the most fitting word right now. My head is killing me right now."

"Ah yes, that's what happens when you get wasted and hungover after, might I say, some really good and rough sex."

"Yeah, I can still feel certain _parts_ of you right now, but I'm not going in for round 2."

"Nor did I mention that. Well, get dressed while I go take a shower. I'll bring you some food and refreshment."

"I can get out of bed, you know."

"If you insist."

"I'll just wait in the living room with Tal and Nem, is that alright?"

"Sure, it'll be just Nem though. Tal helps me cook."

"No problem. Thank you."

"I haven't' even made-"

"For the hospitality dork. I appreciate everything you did for me even though I made a poor life choice."

"Well, it's not like you didn't pay me back somehow."

"...right. I'll get dressed."

"Clothes are on the nightstand. Nem or Tal must've put them in here while we were asleep."

Eran got up and pulled on his boxers and a shirt from the closet before heading out of the room. Blaze was left alone to dress herself and go downstairs.

 _Damn this headache sucks ass. Why can't there be no consequences for letting yourself go loose for one night out of many. Oh wait…_

She sighed as she got out of bed and neatly made it. Her hair was messy and she was not tidied up to put it nicely. Blaze shrugged herself off and put on her undergarments, alongside the shirt and shorts that she'd presume were Nem's. However, the tank top was a bit small and she pulled it higher to show her waist rather than her chest. The shorts fit snugly and she headed down the hallway and stairs to the living room. Nem was dressed similar to her, but less skin. She was drinking some tea as the clattering of pans and the noise of an exhaust fan came from the kitchen area.

"Good Morning, Blaze. How are you feeling?"

"Not much better. Actually worse."

"That's unfortunate to hear. What happened last night?"

Blaze almost choked on the water she was drinking before sputtering out the drops. Nem immediately smirked while rubbing her back.

"You already know, don't you?"

"Me? I was busy with my own things."

"Sure you were. Anyways, you seem to be used to coming here."

"Yeah, Tal often lets me stay with him since my roommates aren't exactly the best."

"Really?"

"Mhm. They're hardcore partiers unlike me, who just enjoys an evening out with the girls and a couple drinks, but never too much."

"Haha…..yeah...never too much…"

The pain amplified.

"Ughhhh…"

"Say, what else do you do other than DJ for a living?"

"Nothing really. I just sleep all day and party all night. It's unhealthy, but it pays well."

"I see."

"Hey! You've been here a lot. What do Tal and Eran do other than work the counter?"

"You don't know? They both teach at an all-girls college."

"Really now?"

"Yeah. Tal teaches the highest level of alchemy classes available there, while Eran teaches the introductory math classes and the highest level combat training. It's quite strange. Professor by day, stripper by night, Eran Ander. Though I heard his students all adore him and Tal gets many love notes from his oldest students."

"You're not jealous?"

"No. I know him and he would never betray me like that. Besides, even his oldest are still younger than me."

"Interesting…"

"I think the most interesting part is how have you not only never heard of their professions after knowing them for this long, but how you also don't realize that they have classes to teach today."

"How the hell was I supposed to know? You think I'm a genius like you? I just make music and DJ, not teach others life morals and lessons."

"Sorry sorry. Anyways, it sounds like they're done with breakfast. Shall we head in?"

"I'm starving…"

As the two sat down in the kitchen, Eran blushed at the sight of Blaze's messy, yet revealing outfit. Tal smiled as he set down all of the plates and took off his apron. Eran filled each plate with what he thought were proper portions. Blaze thanked the both of them and they all sat down to eat at the square table.

"So, Tal. What time we heading in today?"

"I'd say in around an hour we should leave. Today is the day I give the third Unit exam."

"That far already? Jeez, I wish I wasn't stuck with the low level maths. Today's lesson for me is on Arc Length to find the volume of a figure and basically simpleton things."

"What about Combat Training?"

"Ah, right. Today is just a day of learning self-defense."

"Who's your partner?"

"I asked Ni to help me out, but she told me last night that she had an important meeting today, so I need a replacement."

"Why not Blaze?"

All eyes averted to the flustered redhead as she stopped chewing and swallowed.

"M-me?"

"Yeah, come on! It'll be fun. Besides, didn't you major in Magic Swordsmanship? It'd be a nice compliment to my mechanical arm swordsmanship."

"If you don't mind then….sure."

"Sweet! Be sure to grab your training gear, though I know it has been awhile since you picked up a claymore."

"Yeah yeah, just let me swing by my house."

"No problem."

Tal and Nem finished eating. Nem waved goodbye as her and Tal drove off to drop her off and to go to work. Eran and Blaze finished soon after, with Eran getting up to wash the dishes soon after.

"Let me help!"

"You're a guest. I can't."

"Then I'll force myself!"

Blaze tried to squeeze next to Eran to help rinse the dishes, but his massive bulk blocked her from even reaching the sink. Eran smirked as she struggling to push him aside. After a bit of pouting and yelling, she finally thought of an idea. Blaze took her arms and wrapped them around Eran's waist, successfully reaching the plates from behind. Eran seemed startled for a bit, but soon let her do so but didn't give her any plates.

"Oh come on! I just thought I made it!"

"Too bad my arms are longer than yours, right?"

"Shut up jerk. Hmph!"

And with that final remark, Eran spun around and saw Blaze sit on the couch, arms and legs crossed. He laughed as he gathered his belongings.

"Come on, let's get the day started."

"Not until I receive some sort of apology for not letting me help you, jackass."

"Fine. I'm sorry. Now let's go or we'll be late."

"Not good enough."

"Are you serious?!"

"Hmph!"

She closed her eyes and turned her head away from Eran. He sighed and lifted her up and slung her over his shoulder. Her eyes widened as she kicked and struggled to get loose, but Eran used his mechanical arm to hold her there and therefore, did not feel any pain from her fighting.

"I hate you sometimes."

"Oh well. Shouldn't've struggles so much then."

Raven grabbed his coat and his training gear before loading them into the black and red convertible. Blaze took her seat next to him as the hood stayed down. Eran put on his sunglasses as he pulled out of the parking lot.

"How the hell do you make enough money…?"

"Two jobs, and one pays much more than the other, in more ways than one."

Eran smirked as the sun shined brightly on the two. He handed Blaze a pair of red shades in case of this much vitamin D. She graciously put them on and the two sped off, unknowingly starting a new chapter in each of their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

_(Slowly but surely I will update and finish these stories. Also I'm not dead. Updates will roll slowly, I'm just in college now. Sorry for the wait, but I haven't gotten any reviews or anything so updating wasn't a priority anymore.)_

 _ **Beauty and the Beat**_

 _ **Chapter 2: Lecture**_

"So you seriously teach classes during the daytime?"

"No I just enjoy going to school when I'm already well off."

"Oh excuse me Mr. Sarcasm. And if you're so well off, why do you teach?"

"You're the one who assumed I was being sarcastic, not me. Though I will admit teaching lower level math is boring, the combat is what I excel at and enjoy instructing about the most."

"Really? I could never settle down to do something like that…"

"You never know until you try. Now come on, before we're late."

The time was nearing the hour, and the two hurriedly walked down the long corridors of the Math building until Eran opened the door to a massive auditorium. There, plenty of students were unamusedly awaiting their exam, which Professor Eran was kind enough to schedule on a class day and time so the students needn't make time outside of class.

"Good morning Students!"

"Good morning Professor." Came back the dulled responses. Blaze smiled a bit as she took a seat behind Eran's table.

"Now as you all know, and that I confirmed with those voided voices of yours, there is our first Midterm today. This will cover the previous 8 lectures and calculators are not allowed. If you are caught cheating and I confirm that it was not an accident, there will be severe consequences." Eran said into his microphone earpiece and paced with his hands behind his back.

A brunette raised her hand.

"Question?"

"Yeah. Who's that lady next to you Professor?"

"Wait, isn't that one of the best DJs nationwide?"

"YEAH DUDE THAT'S DJ BLAZE!"

"HOLY SHIT."

As the room exponentially grew with volume, Blaze blushed lightly and smiled and waved. Eran slammed a textbook on the table up front, startling everyone, including Blaze.

"Now, if there are no more questions, let's start. Blaze, help me with these, please."

Blaze stood up immediately and took half of the papers. She began to pass them out and noticed that there were significantly more males than females in the room, probably due to slacking in basic studies. A few of the students asked for her autograph after the exam, to which she responded

"Only if you get an A."

Some students were driven by this motivation, others sighed and slumped in their seats, accepting their fate of a subpar grade and missing an opportunity.

"Your time begins now. Turn it in up front when complete, and then you may leave."

Eran took a seat behind his table and motioned Blaze to sit next to him. There was a reasonable distance from the front row to his table, so he quietly began to whisper to Blaze.

"Apologies for all the hassle, but I appreciate you helping me out with passing the tests and stuff."

"Oh it's no problem. I mean, might as well do something productive today instead of just sleep in all day."

"You're going to have to bear with me for the next two hours, but I swear after the second class is done with tests, I'll treat us to lunch. Got a lot of grading to do tonight anyways."

"I'll help with the grading then, because it just wouldn't be fair to let you buy me lunch when you've already done so much."

"Oh, thank you very much. Usually I have a difficult time getting through a stack of 500 papers before next lecture."

"You're welcome~"

Eran returned to preparing the next lecture's notes while Blaze was left to her thoughts and the sight of many pencils furiously scribbling on paper. She slowly leaned onto the table and fell asleep.

The sound of a bell ringing loudly abruptly disturbed her quiet nap as Eran smiled and waved each student out the door as the next class funneled in.

The same process went again, and when the bell rang again, Blaze rubbed her eyes and yawned. Eran patted her shoulder lightly as he carried the stack of all the papers out of the door. Blaze followed in close pursuit.

"Just a quick stop by my office to get my bag and we can go."

"A bag? How're all those tests supposed to fit in _one bag._ "

"It's...a messenger bag."

Eran unlocked the door to his office and quickly grabbed the messenger bag and loaded it with the papers and took a few red pens.

"Oh. A man purse."

"It's called a Satchel, you drunk swine."

"Name one guy who has a satchel and is still cool."

"Other than me? Indiana Jones."

"...just this once, you win."

Eran smirked and put his sunglasses back on as they left the building. He saw some of the combat training professors already coaching their young warriors, but he knew those were the lower leveled classes based on stance and such. Blaze noticed his gaze.

"Yo, smokehead, where we going for the grub?"

"Ah, just the usual spot at the Union with Tal. I almost always go there and typically a few students eat with us as they study courses that we help with since that knowledge is easy for us to recall."

"You're literally the biggest nerd I've ever had sex with."

"...touche."

Eran waved as some of his students passed him on the streets. Blaze stayed very close to him as some other students slowly began to recognize her as well.

"YO IS THAT HER?"

"SHIT'S LIT. HEY! DJ BLAZE!"

And suddenly, a small crowd began to hinder their movements. Eran sighed as he used his left arm to clear a path for the two as he finally managed to sit inside the designated area. Tal was there already, studying his own research on Disfrozen technology. Eran waved a hand in front of his face as Tal moved over to make room for the two.

"I take it that your exams went smoothly, Eran?"

"Yeah, with Blaze here being my indentured servant, things went faster than usual."

"Excuse me?!"

Tal laughed and put down his book and put away all of his notes before handing Eran a sandwich.

"The usual."

"Thanks man. Oh right, did you get what I asked for Blaze?"

"Yeah, though it's kind of a weird request for her."

Tal handed a small, aluminum-foil wrapped sandwich over to Blaze, who graciously accepted. Eran put some ED on the table and Tal took it. The usual.

"What the fuck is this?" Blaze looked at her sandwich with a disgusted face. Instead of bread being the main outing, it was two slabs of lettuce.

"Consider it a change of pace. You probably eat junk food all the time, try something healthier for a change. I assure you, it isn't bad in the slightest." Eran answered as he took a bite of his food and a sip of water.

Blaze sniffed the grass sandwich before taking a small bite, expecting the worst. Her disgruntled expression immediately turned to a smile as she took a larger bite and chewed happily.

"Is sho good. Thanks, Eran." Blaze contently scarfed down the rest of her sandwich before letting out a small burp and drinking some of Eran's water.

On the flip side, he was content with her liking a better choice.

 _Maybe you'll think twice about how much you drink…_

He scoffed and some students approached Tal to ask questions about his Alchemy 425 class. Tal nodded to them and waved Eran goodbye as he got up and walked with his students back to his classroom.

"So, not that a job I think."

"Oh, we haven't even gotten to my favorite part of the day. Swordsmanship 831, the highest level course in the entire Nation and only taught at 4 universities globally. I'm one of the few qualified to teach it, and only the best students stay in it."

"Stay in it?"

"Anyone can sign up, but almost 40-50% of students drop after the first week because of its intensity. Nothing written, everything is verbal and physical."

"Sounds interesting."

"It gets better. Everyone gets their own unique subclass weapon with a sword, example, my left arm is mechanical, and though it is weird for a strpper, I replace it at the club, but here, it is a mechanical mastery. I still study Nasod technology with Nem and a few of our regulars in order to further enhance its potential. You have your fire magic to tie with it, so this class is for those who want to set this as a career."

"You mean a career for killing shit?"

Eran spit out some water and coughed.

"No you idiot. A career in defending our nation."

"So like a small army."

"You'll see. Anyways, what about you, Ms. Hot and Naked every night."

"Gee thanks. You already know most of my stuff. I just DJ at night and do whatever during the day since I don't really need to worry about any more funds. Though I end up sleeping through most mornings and sometimes wake up with unfamiliar faces so I like to practice my stealth by slipping out of the situations ASAP."

"Interesting. And somehow you've steered clear of any obnoxious person trying to take advantage of you and your money?"

"So far, yeah. I mean, usually this hot body is all guys and some girls want so. Whatever, y'know?"

"That's not the best-"

"Yeah, I know Eran. I fucking get it. It's not the best lifestyle, and I'll start changing, but could you, for once, shut the hell up about that and give me some time?! Sure, we're good friends, but it's not like I talk to you this frequently. Sheesh!"

And with that, Eran went dead silent after whispering a meek 'sorry'. Blaze sighed and put her hand to her forehead. She then proceeded to pull out some painkillers and take them. The next few minutes were awkwardly silent, to the point where it seemed like an eternity before a bell rang in the building, signaling the end of classes at that time. Students poured from the doors and Eran sprung to his feet.

"Come now, let's go have some fun for once."

"But-"

"Fun **without alcohol.** "

Blaze smirked as the two walked towards another building far from their eating area. The two walked in silence before Blaze pulled out earbuds and began to jam out to some of her favorite beats. Eran looked over and shrugged.

"Hey bozo, listen to some with me. You need some more rhythm in your life."

Blaze dangled an earbud in front of him and he took it without hesitation and put it in his right ear. The songs, although a bit too loud, were upbeat and in tempo with the songs Eran liked. This one that they were listening to had a nice flow, buildup, and breakdown all throughout. He found himself tranced by the melodies that filled his ears. Before he knew it, they were already there. Had the song not have changed, they might have walked right by it.

"Thank you for the wondrous tunes. We're here now."

"Sure man. Anytime. Stop being so formal, though. It seems awkward."

"...right. Anyways, this is it."

Eran led her into an open field where hundreds of students were either in sync or sparring each other. Blaze looked in awe as each student used a unique upgrade to their main sword. One reminded her of her younger brother; an orange-haired fellow who was using dual blades. Another one had a sword lying next to them, but they wielded a staff of some sort.

"You guys really do teach everything."

"Almost. Come. You have a lot more to see and enjoy."

Eran led her to the side of the field, where a teleporter was placed and could only be activated via thermal scanner, which his arm had. A line of students followed the two in as they were transported to an even larger field with around 50 or so sections.

"Welcome back, my pupils! As you know, today is going to be a free range day with supervision. I did bring a special guest though. Some of you may recognize her, but for those that don't…."

Eran waved Blaze over. She shyly walked over and Eran immediately picked her up and balanced her entire body weight on one finger of his mechanical hand. Her face was filled with surprise at first but it soon turned into a victorious smile.

"This is DJ Blaze, the one and only. She has an extensive knowledge and usage of flame swordsmanship, so feel free to train or even fight her."

"Sensei, she doesn't have any gear though…?" A white haired student asked.

"Blaze, care to do your stuff?"

"With pleasure."

Eran threw her into the air and a large flame covered her entire body, dissolving her clothes and putting on her battle uniform. She slowly ascended from the sky and landed on her feet with her flaming claymore in hand. Eran had already switched into his gear as well, a black cloth covering his shoulder and nothing else but the imagination on his upper body. His pants turned into combat ones alongside his shoes. His arms was already venting out heat.

"Now then. I want records of every Win and Loss on this field. If you wish to fight me or Ms. Blaze, report to us respectively and we will decide if you are fitting or not."

Many students hurried off to practice their combat in sections of the field while Blaze stood idle with Eran. The two overlooked a few of the higher tier matches, which were organized by distance from the center. Every 150 meters out from where they first teleported in, a rank decreased. The students seemed to be evenly split between the 5 ranks and Eran critiqued a few fights while Blaze did the others.

"Ms. Blaze! I challenge you! 1 on 1!"

Eran looked over at the source of the voice, and it was none other than one of his strongest students. A girl named Crim. She used a blood-pacted blade, similar to Professor Edan, however, this one was less brutal, as blindness was not a second effect and it did not possess her...yet.

"Is she worthy Eran?"

"You can decide for yourself."

Blaze turned to the already sweating girl. She had finished an A rank match with another boy, Aren, which resulted in a tie. She eyed her up and down and finally readied her blade.

"Alright kid, you're on."

"Who are you calling a kid?! I'm 20!"

"Still a kid with an attitude."

Cue about 3 other students coming to spectate. Eran waved his students together for a bit.

"Come, all. You may learn a thing or two from an S class vs. an A class fight."

"S...class…?" Crim sputtered out before weakening her position.

"What did you think I was? Some A Rank who managed to excel in college. Nah, you gotta get on my level to beat it, sister."

Crim gritted her teeth and positioned herself for a fight. Blaze smirked and leaned back on her sword and blew on her nails while Eran started the timer.

"Both fighters ready?" A nod from each end confirmed it.

"Rules are simple. Stay within boundaries, first one knocked out or out of stamina to continue loses. Be fair, and have it!"

Eran shot a flame into the air and Crim immediately charged at Blaze, who was still unequipped with her Blade. Crim dashed in for a quick hit on Blaze, who simply parried with her left fist and countered with a blow from her right. Crim fell back a few inches, not expecting a mortal blow over a sword slash.

"Feeling dizzy?"

"Tch. You…!"

Blaze smirked and gripped her blade and unsheathed it from the earth. A quick aerial swipe sent Crim into the air, where Blaze immediately shot herself up with a flame geyser and smashed Crim into the ground with a blow from her blunt end of the sword.

"Crim. Your stamina is already at 60%. Fight back, won't you? Show my assistant how well my best students can fight!"

"Yes, sir!"

Eran's words made Blaze ponder if anything else went on with the two besides just fighting. As she thought, Crim injected herself with soul blood and dashed straight to Blaze before making a corruption pact and bonding their hearts together. Though short lasting, Blaze would receive half the damage she forced onto Crim. Crim smirked and immediately dashed through her 4 times with successive swipes at Blaze's ribs. Blaze coughed before gripping her claymore tighter.

"Sensei, who do you think will win?"

"Good question. I'd say both have a strong chance once they figure out what they're up against. Whoever figures out the other's weakness first will win in a heartbeat."

"Sensei, why don't you fight her? I want to see an S Class vs S Class."

"Ah, that is untrue. She may be S Class, but she stopped. I am a Triple-S Class, though I still have much to improve. The fight would be too one-side to-"

"Talking shit about me, Eran?"

Blaze threw her claymore and enhanced it with fire straight at him. He stopped it with three quick missiles and picked it up.

"Focus on your fight."

"Nah man, put your money where your mouth is. I'll fight a Triple-S instead of an A."

Crim groaned and let go of her magic. Blaze strutted over to Eran, who was now laughing. The two met face to face and Eran smirked.

"You really want to do this?"

"It takes two to tango, baby."

"Alright, don't say I didn't warn you."

At this point, every single student was circled around them, eager to watch their instructor fight someone he grew up with. Eran smirked and looked around at all of them.

"Heh. You've got everyone's attention. Are you sure you want to do this Blaze? Let all of these students down?"

"Oh you're on big shot. Let's make a bet. If I win, all of your students get a free A and you buy me dinner tonight."

"And if I win?"

"Then, I'll buy you dinner tonight and I owe you one favor of your choosing."

"Go Sensei! You can take her!"

"Are you stupid?! Ms. Blaze will get us free As! GO SEMPAI!"

A majority of the students were on Blaze's sides, while those B Ranked and above were on Eran's.

"Alright lady. Let's see what you've got. Aren! Keep score!"

"Yes, sir!"

The two walked opposite directions and positioned themselves 20 meters apart. The students scurried to their respective sides. Aren walked to the middle of the two.

"No need for rules Aren, just count us down."

"Affirmative, sir! 3, 2, 1, FIGHT!"

With the last word popping out of his mouth, Aren immediately teleported to the safety area. Blaze sped towards Eran, her feet quicker than the flames they left behind. Eran stretched his left arm and yawned with his right before grabbing her claymore before she even managed to swing it. She gasped in surprise and he smirked before letting out a small laugh.

"Heh."

He immediately tightened his grip on her claymore and suddenly let go. She kicked his chest and shot herself back 10 meters. He readied his blade in his right hand and lunged forward at twice her speed and sliced directly at her left arm. Had she not known him, she would have lost it there, but her mind was trained to be more cautious around those she knew as she immediately dropped below the swing and kicked Eran off his feet, who promptly stumbled forward a bit before rolling backwards and grabbing her wrist.

"A bit too touchy for my taste."

Blaze heated up her wrists and set them on fire, causing Eran to immediately retract his human hand distance himself. She laughed aloud at his mistake before summing a trail blaze to follow him.

"Shit."

He instantaneously sprinted towards the other end of the field, but to no avail as the flames caught up with him. He immediately turned to face them, and just in time. His face made contact with the smell of ashes before he opened up his Artillery socket on his hand and quickly absorbed the flames. Blaze's expression went from grinning to surprised.

"H-how?!"

"Don't you know? Fight fire with fire and you…"

Blaze noticed his mechanical arm glow brighter before he unleashed a massive flame towards her.

"Get burned!"

Blaze responsively channeled her magic to create a heat shield that allowed the flame to pass through her body without harm.

"Obviously one of us has to. Besides, that flame was much hotter than you in bed last night~"

"...YOU CAN'T SAY THAT IN FRONT OF THE STUDENTS!"

"SENSEI WHAT."

Eran went into a small state of panic, and Blaze used this opportunity to finish him off in his weakened state.

"Sorry dear, but this win's mine. ANCIENT. FIRE."

She casted the magic while dashing towards Eran and the two were engulfed in flames for a solid 20 seconds as the students watched in awe. Did their instructor meet his match?

Blaze emerged from the flames as they died around her, with Eran nowhere in sight.

"And there you go guys, free A's for all!"

The students began to whoop while the one's on Eran's side smirked and laughed a bit. No way their sensei would give in that easily. A small shift in the setting got Blaze's attention as Eran manifested from a small crater in the ground.

"Ha...ha...you really wanted to go, didn't you?"

"Wait...you're not supposed to survive that."

"Yeah, but you know, having a secondary strength in stealth and absorption makes this arm really damn useful."

"What?"

"Sorry Blaze, your Ancient Fire just amplified my damage significantly."

Eran climbed to of the pit quickly using only his raw strength and quickly summoned a large Crow out of gunpowder before igniting it.

"Maybe next time." He said as he swiftly launched the beast at Blaze, who was promptly blown back and landed stomach down outside of the field, her claymore outside the boundaries as well.

The students on her side were in disbelief as the others cheered on Eran and ran over to help both of them back up.

"Damn...did a number on me…"

"Oh and by the way. **That** flame was as hot as I was last night."

With a small wink and final lift of his sword, Eran turned to go sit on his side of the field before sending the students back to their training. Blaze groaned and got up slowly before dragging herself back to where Eran was.

"You're a big bag of dicks, you know?"

"Hey. You got what was coming to you. Now, about that dinner…"

"Yeah yeah."

"I want one at your place. Just a simple dinner, anything you cook will suffice. However, I have to strip at 6 so."

"Yeah yeah I have a gig at 7. What time will you be done?"

"Around 11, you?"

"A little earlier since they don't need me the whole time. I won't get wasted and you better be at my place by then."

"Alright, what should I wear?"

"Does it really matter?"

"Good point."

With that, Eran and Blaze sat in harmony as his students displayed their skills on the field, some attempting to mimic Blaze's and Eran's abilities, but to no avail. Eran laughed when one C Rank tried to make an Ignition Crow, but instead got burned by the flame themselves.

 _Just another typical day for him, eh? I could want this..._


End file.
